Trekking in the Everest Region in Spring 2013: Phortse to Lukla via Dingboche

April 16 to Macchermo to Phortse

In Everest Region Trekking 1 we finished on the way back from Gokyo at Macchermo halted by bad weather. Teresa in her Trek Report (see below) says of that night: we danced our buns off last night and went to bed at the unthinkable time of 9.30. Great to see the totally unselfconscious way our boys dance with us and with each other.

In consequence next day — a long day — became longer but it was very interesting, quite different to coming the other way and much quicker downhill. Dhole was full of yaks getting ready to move up the trail. Phortse Denga where we’d stayed before on the river was again a lovely place for a brief stop. I never find retracing one’s steps in Nepal is a bother because it is always different.

Trekking in the Everest Region in Spring 2013: Lukla to Gokyo

Overview

Most people who go trekking above Namche Bazaar (3440 m) want to go to Everest Base Camp (5380 m). This is despite base camp not being the most welcoming or lovely spot and that strings of trekkers are behind and in front of the whole way you, day-in-day-out. Teresa decided to take us to Gokyo Lakes and Gokyo Ri or Peak (5357 m) on a left hand zig instead. Two of the fittest of the party went with three guide porters over the Cho La Pass (5420 m) from Gokyo, to base camp via Gorak Shep and also to Kala Patthar (5643 m above base camp). While the rest of us retraced our steps part way and then zigged right. We were going Dingboche (4410 m) the start of the walk to the Island Peak (6189 m) climb — the easiest small peak in Nepal. The weather was very windy and it was quite cold so a small group of us only made it to the teahouse at Bibre (close to 5000 m), which was sheltered and didn’t continue on to Chukkhung (4730 m) beyond Dingboche.